free time = will learn to develop myself

[jacksparrow]

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Hi all, I will have a lot more free time in my hands, and I would like to start learning to develop B&W film myself. I'm looking for a class nearby, but might be hard to find (just finding digital photography courses around here), meanwhile which would be a good book you'd recommend to start with? (webpage would do too) also, what minimum equipment you'd get other than the developing tank?

thanks

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[Shootist]

Hi all, I will have a lot more free time in my hands, and I would like to start learning to develop B&W film myself. I'm looking for a class nearby, but might be hard to find (just finding digital photography courses around here), meanwhile which would be a good book you'd recommend to start with? (webpage would do too) also, what minimum equipment you'd get other than the developing tank?

thanks

 

Are you going to scan the negatives?

There are some good websites. Just google Delevop B&W film.

Other then a tank and chemicals you will need timer of some type, I actual use my wrist watch, and some plastic bottles to hold the chemicals and a measuring cup/beacker in ML and some smaller containers to hold all the chemicals during the developing step.

I lay all the chemicals out in separate smaller container that are marked 1-2-3-4-5 and what the chemical is, developer, stop bath, fixer, hypo cleaner and foto-flo.

That way all I have to do is grab the next jar and poor it in the tank.

[john_r_smith]

Jack

 

you really don't need a lot of equipment to develop B/W film. Let's think -

 

* A developing tank

 

* A measuring flask and thermometer (two flasks perhaps, one for dev and one for fix, another container for stop bath)

 

* A timer

 

* The chemicals - developer, stop bath, fix, wetting agent for the wash

 

* A couple of clips for hanging the film up to dry

 

And of course you need an improvised darkroom of some sort for loading the tank. I really do not recommend trying to do this in a changing bag, although you can at a pinch, I suppose. Anything I've forgotten here, chaps?

 

John

[jacksparrow]

Yes Shootist, I'm going to scan the negatives afterwards. Not really interested in the analog processing of the negatives, plus, don't have the space to set-up a dedicated dark room.

Thanks for the replies, will start getting all the stuff next week, then, will start posting questions... :-)

 

This will be fun.

 

Just a couple more things: are fingerprints a problem? should I be extra careful when loading the film? also, is it temperature THAT critical? I mean, 1-2 deg deviation is considered way off? any temperature will do as long as the times are modified accordingly?

[andybarton]

You're going to have fun!

 

Fingerprints aren't a problem, provided your hands are clean and dry when you load the spools. Obviously, fingerprints and dust are a problem on the wet negs, as per normal.

 

You need a thermometer to check the temp of the water used to make up the chemicals. A degree or two can make all the difference.

 

Check out the great big developer chart on digital truth's website to see how the temp affects the timing.

[spydrxx]

If you are lucky enough to find a Leitz/Rondinax U35 tank on the used market (eBay or hidden away in a local camera shop or flea market), you don't need a changing bag or darkroom for film development...everything is done in daylight, and you don't have to manually load the film onto a spool in the usual sense...it has an internal feeding mechanism which in years of use I've never had a failure. I would check the development chart mentioned earlier and I keep an annotated copy of of the Kodak B&W Darkroom Dataguide. Have fun...it sure beats having somebody else mess with your exposures.

[jacksparrow]

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...it sure beats having somebody else mess with your exposures.

 

The donwnside is... who can I blame if everything goes wrong??? :-)

 

thank you all for your helpl, as always it's great having you here at my fingertips.

[stunsworth]

Eugenio, have a look here for instructions - click on 'processing your first b&w film'...

 

ILFORD PHOTO - Processing a Black & White film

 

have fun!

[ron110n]

Eugenio,

 

You don't need a book.

It's so easy, even a caveman can do it.

 

There are tons of good information in this thread.

http://www.leica-camera-user.com/film-forum/18838-just-joined-film-club.html

 

Best,

-Ron

[DTD]

If you are lucky enough to find a Leitz/Rondinax U35 tank

 

I used to have a Rondinax, only problem I found was it seemed a bit easy to scratch the film as you were winding it onto the spiral.

 

Best way to learn is to get someone to show you and follow the instructions closely. Use an old film to practice loading the tank a few times in the daylight.

[stunsworth]

For developing times of various films/developers have a look here...

 

The Massive Dev Chart: B/W Film Development Times, Processing Data

[gvaliquette]

While I have not done it for quite a few years, I used to develop both B+W and color slides in my basement.

 

Temperature control is important for B+W developing, but it is CRITICAL for color slide (E6) processing. I have a pair of laundry tubs in my basement. What I rigged for temperature control was to have an overflow tube in one of the two tubs' drain that would keep the water level at 4 to 6 inches; the developing tank would sit in that tub with water up to its neck. Then I had a siphon bringing water from the second tub into the tub with the tank. I had cold and hot water flowing into the "reservoir" tub (the one without the developing tank). Using a thermometer, I would adjust the temperature in the "reservoir" tank one or two degrees F above the target temperature for the developing tank tub. Trial and error will tell you how much higher the temperature has to be in the"reservoir" tub to have the target temperature in the developing tank tub. It was then very easy to adjust the flow of cold and hot water into the "reservoir" tub every minute or two, and the amount of water in the "reservoir" tub made for an excellent thermal buffer.

 

The bottles of chemicals would first go into the "reservoir" tub, except for the bottle about to be used, which would be in the developing tank tub. As I moved through the solutions, the used ones would go on the floor and the next would move from the "reservoir" tub to the processing tub.

 

It is easier to set up than to describe! I whish I still had the time to process my own film, but such is life. Usually, when you have time, you wish you had more money, and when you finally get more money, you no longer have the time!

 

Sigh!

 

Guy

[vics]

I've been using a changing bag since 1999 and have noticed no ill effects. Get a big one, though. I like the old Nikor tanks but with the newer reels made in the UK by Hewes. Practice loading in the daylight (wasting a roll of film, but well worth it.)

Start out with an old standby like D-76 or Rodinal (my fav) and print on Ilford Multigrade RC to start. Enjoy!

Vic